Hang On To Your Hats!

My cameras have been getting a workout lately and I am here to share a small part of what I have been seeing, so let's get right to it!

When last we met, we were still in Orlando according to me going back to that post, which if you missed it, you can find it here. Does it surprise you that once I've written a post I immediately forget what I wrote? It shouldn't because time and time again, I have written about my poor memory. Now I am not like lots of us old folks who worry about their failing memories because that has been my "MO" forever. While some might bemoan that situation, it works just fine for me as I am always looking forward, not backward. You know what I have always said..."a good memory is overrated!" 

My desktop has had this photo on it for ages for sharing so here it is. The color of this lily is so rich and beautiful! I took this in Chastity's yard next door. Speaking of her, it was so sweet that upon our return she made a point to tell us how we were missed. 😄Living on Lake Willisara in Orlando gave me so many wonderful photo opportunities through the years. I still wonder where the Barred Owls went! Looking out the back sliding glass doors, I could always tell when an otter was probably swimming around because the water moves in a certain way. Anyway, even though it has now been two years (!) since we lived there full time, I guess there are some things I don't forget because when I spotted that water movement, I went outside with camera in tow, and watched until the otter was so close to me and I was able to get a nice portrait..

Not as pretty as the lovely lily, but far more active. 

Dinners and lunches out in Orlando were quite the treat with some really yummy food. We were to meet Ann and John at Superica in Winter Park which turns out to be a small chain of Mexican restaurants including one in the Atlanta area.  Talk about a cool space!

Thinking about quilts when seeing patterns out in the world is just part of being a quilter. The bathroom provided some food for thought. Wait, does that sound creepy? 

The food was delicious and the company even better!

Later that day we met up with Patty and Keith for dinner at The Madison located adjacent to downtown Orlando in an area that has been transformed into a campus for UCF with lots of apartments for students.

Oh my, this was our first visit to the restaurant and it did not disappoint, beginning with the decor.

Above is but one of the dining rooms, all stylish, which is well and good, but if the food is not great than it is a waste. We are happy to say that the experience with food, staff, and ambiance was wonderful. As was the company who, we were delighted to learn, are coming to Murphy in October for two weeks! Woo hoo! 

Every visit home includes a meal at Mary's condo, just down the street. She is so faithful in taking care of us when are food supplies are limited. This time I figured that surely I could pull a simple meal together, chicken, yellow rice and broccoli. How hard could that be? Pretty hard when your stove and oven are not fully engaged!! We struggled through the dinner that it was surely not my best. Perhaps you remember it was Mary who was kind enough to transport my fabric baskets to Murphy?

Sunday night we finally saw David and Michelle, both of whom were feeling much improved since last we saw them together. Health challenges have visited both of them, so seeing them in good spirits was a joy. Again, style and substance in the restaurant.

Every visit we learn things about making it more enjoyable which is a relief after several less than stellar trips!

Monday we got on the road, this time heading to Aiken, South Carolina to visit Pam and Glen who moved there in the spring.

However, we had to get there first and using I-95 turned out to work quite well. Along the way we stopped at Buc-ee's where I photographed the famous restrooms.

Open for only two weeks, it did not disappoint. One thing that was neat is how enthusiastic the employees were; this fellow was chopping brisket like there was no tomorrow! And yes, it was BUSY!

The pulled pork sandwich we shared was delicious as were the cajun potato sticks. Bruce is quite disappointed that he did not get a bigger bag!

As has been true for most of the South, the temperatures were high when we arrived. A disappointment to Pam and Glen as they had hoped to escape some summer heat when they moved from Cape Canaveral but I suspect it shares some similarities with here. Summers are plenty hot, but they just don't last nearly as long. Their new home is on a golf course, a new passion for them, and before it got too hot, Pam took us for a walk in their new neighborhood. As is so often the case, I was lallygagging.

Undoubtedly, a bird had caught my eye. Pam has been a good friend for at least the last decade and since they moved to CC during Covid, our visits have been few, so it was SO good to spend quality time with them. The photo below is so Pam, explaining something to Bruce using her hands.

While waiting for us to arrive she made this beautiful peach pound cake which we insisted on having for breakfast on Tuesday, and Wednesday, for that matter.

Their new house is lovely and oh so familiar as they moved everything from Orlando. Glen was helping with a golf camp for children, so Pam took us to see the sights. Every photo of Aiken shows this view.

Note the gigantic screen in her Tesla, even larger than the one I showed you in Tammy's vehicle! Aiken is a horse town and has been for a century. Think polo and racing. She took us to Hitchcock Woods where we saw some riders along the way.

Thankfully it was shady. The sandy soil is so Florida; we have becomes somewhat accustomed to clay. Glen met us in town for lunch,

at a local hangout in downtown, City Billiards.  Been there since the 50's and with the food as delicious as ours was, it does not surprise me in the least. The Rueben was the best I've had in AGES!

From there we roamed through a huge antique market ,as well as a wonderful gallery with local art, including a large showing of paintings done by Alzheimers patients. Was that ever inspiring!

Bruce and Glen returned to the house while Pam and I went on to the local history museum, about which much could be written, but if I am ever to get current I will leave it at this; located in a huge house that was absolutely gorgeous!

What a fantastic, albeit short, visit it was! From there the drive is about six hours or so. 

Arriving home, our friends had done such a great job keeping things going, including my tomatoes which looked like this when we came home.

They have since ripened and are delicious, although I cannot say my attempt at gardening has been super successful. The cucumbers are good and plentiful but the strawberries were pitifully small.

That said, there is always next year!  

There was little time to catch up around the house as Soul Table happened the next day.

The following day I went to a pickleball ladies "Jump in the Lake" at Peggy's house on Lake Nottely. Pretty spectacular it was.

I'll have you know that someone counted and there are 65 steps down to the lake and I am proud to say that I did them at least three times! Now for some that does not sound so impressive but never having lived with steps before, it has taken quite some time for me to be comfortable on them. I was happy with that as well as the water which was great! My first experience in a mountain lake. Actually, made from damming the Nottley River, does it count as a lake? 

Beth was the first to jump off the top deck into the water.

Linda was bound and determined to do it, however, once up there, where I was poised with a ready camera, it took her a bit to get up the courage. Once she did, her splash was great!

Coincidentally it was Debbie's birthday.

What a marvelous day it was. I relate these adventures merely as documentation and not to sound, well I don't know what to call it, but let's just say, we both feel SO fortunate to be having these great experiences at our age. Since we spent our early adult years raising four sons and working, our adventures were limited, so having them later in life, might just mean more to us than to some.

Whew....

Saturday it was a party at David and D'Anna's beautiful home. Oh their vegetable garden, birds, blooming flowers, it was all so good.

Moving into the newly built garage during a short downpour, half were there, 

and the other half  on the back porch,  they all came out on the front porch for a photo.

I took way more beautiful photos at their home, but as this is running on, I will keep moving. A few days later it was D'Anna's birthday and they came into town for a church event which we followed up with dinner at the newest restaurant in town. I mentioned it before, but Poor Parsons Pub, now with a new owner and a new look, impressed them as much as it did us when we went there for some appetizers. Holy cow, it is so delicious.

Last Thursday morning, while the folks were mowing, I was asked to take some photos of that going on with the hopes that a few more of the church family might be inspired to help with the mowing. The renovation and new roof are coming along so well.

With the regular maintenance of the grounds, and the new roof, it will once again become a showpiece in Murphy. That is our friend Randy pictured above and some days later, he and David invited us to join them at their lot where their new house is in progress. Apparently they bought the lot some 16 years ago and it took this much time for things to work out for them to be in a position to build. Bruce pored over their plans, looking for anything they might have missed.

I hope to take more of this kind of shot as construction progresses. 

Here is something crazy....they lived and worked in Sanford, a smallish city about twenty five miles outside Orlando before moving full time to Murphy last year. As we were chatting around that folding table, enjoying our little picnic, we learned that they know an artist named Marlene London who lives in Orlando. Stunned, we told them that we also knew her because she used to live in Southern California and was a good friend of my deceased sister Carol!! What a small world, right? 

Whew...what a couple of weeks we've had! I think because winter looms, albeit months away, folks tend to be super busy in the summer? We were so thankful when we returned to Murphy to discover that our friends were as good as their word, watering our plants like mad and as I mentioned there are a bunch.

Including something called a Great Mullein that is in the ground just beside the basket of impatiens. What began as a small weedy looking thing, has grown to be over seven feet tall! Earlier in the season Bruce wanted to pull it out, but having seen one before in the park, I suggested we leave it in order to see how tall it would become. Is it finished growing? Maybe not? Time will tell, won't it?

It always does.

your friend,

Gail

By Golly, I'm Back!

 It's been a while.

Like more than two weeks which is not my style.

But now I am back after more activities than a gal can relate.  More pictures too.

We went to Florida for a week and of course we saw this bundle of joy more than once. 

My goodness what a sweetheart and Bill and Fallon cannot keep from thinking it must be a dream, they are so in love with him. Can you blame them?

But let's back up a bit because there is much to be said. We served at Soul Table on the 3rd of July and here is Dottie in the middle, D'Anna and yours truly decked out for the holiday. 

I nearly forgot that I have not told you about the 4th! After playing pickleball we walked over to the park just in time for the peanut drop! Yes, you read that correctly. And what pray tell is a peanut drop you ask?

I don't know how many they drop, but unshelled peanuts fall from the back of the plane, scattering all over the field, and folks go after them, looking for colored ones that are worth money, ranging from $1-5.

Later on we watched the fireworks display from our neighbor Sandy's porch and while good, and better than from our back porch, next year we are just going to walk the few blocks to the park because for a small town, it is a very impressive display.

Here's something funny. So remember how I went mushroom foraging, more specifically for chanterelles in the forest, and it took like two hours to get to the spot? Arriving at Cobby and Diane's house for a cookout, look what was in their front yard! Diane had already picked a bunch of them.

Meet Tank their beloved cat.

28 hours later, I continue....(life got in the way of my computer time)

Monday morning, nearly two weeks ago, we left the house around 8AM, heading south with our first stop the Costco in Woodstock to pick up our new glasses. Unfortunately for me, I had them tighten mine a little too much and it has taken this long for them to finally be comfortable. 

But I digress...

Surprisingly, the drive through Atlanta was not too awful except for this little bit in the outskirts

By that time it was about 11 in the morning, so what the hold up was, is not something I am prepared to write about except to say that D'Anna says it always backs up in this area and  seeing as how she was raised in Atlanta, she should know.

We made excellent time, arriving in Valdosta, our normal stopping place, about 3:30 in the afternoon. The parking lot at the Drury Inn was nearly empty, so little Missy here suggested we go into downtown to see what we could see rather than sit in the hotel room. Mr. Wonderful agreed. There were a lot of tell-tale signs of a city working hard to revitalize their downtown which was filled with many wonderful buildings.

Lots of interesting murals to admire.

We went into several cute shops where people were enjoying themselves.

Another striking mural.

And who does not like an alleyway filled with colorful umbrellas?

All was good until it wasn't. Back to the hotel that Bruce had very much been looking forward to, he popped in to secure a room and they were ALL sold out! Apparently the word is getting out that it is such a good deal. So, we headed out of town and Bruce drove the four more hours to Orlando, arriving just before dark and in time to stop at Publix for a few supplies. Woo hoo! Passing the time I continued reading aloud all sorts of things to Bruce, eventually coming across a website about world population. Wow, some real surprises there. While we knew that India and China are neck and neck as far as people go, we were both surprised at how many people live in Africa! Perhaps I have mentioned before how Bruce is always game for guessing things, and is usually pretty darn accurate, but this time some of the African countries most definitely took him by surprise.

Much to our delight no real disasters awaited us, that is if you don't count two small leaks in the sunroom awning. 

The corner that you see was leaking, but we were able to secure a visit from the ever-busy Herbert who caulked it and we should now be in good shape. 

Tuesday morning first thing I took an open dental appointment for a cleaning, stopping at the carwash in the complex to rid the MINI Cooper of a few months worth of dirt.

I am including a photo because I suspect some folks up here are really doubting that I actually do drive, if only occasionally!

As I may have reported, we are in the midst of a very expensive assessment to pay for new roofs throughout the community. It was good to see how things are progressing.

One of the other things we hoped to accomplish was to empty our storage unit, the same one we downsized to about a year ago. Since that time, although this space was nearly half the size of the previous one, the rates kept increasing, seemingly on a whim. SO, after seven years, we did it! Or, more accurately Bruce did with some cheerleading on my part. Another big surprise was that while hot, it never was nearly as hot as it was two months ago. Thank God for that!

Our visits to see Christian still revolve around feedings and nap time, but when we were able to see the family it was pure gold. 

Another thing I did on our drive down was contact friends to set up meal dates which worked out very nicely. Tuesday night just Bruce and I popped into a newish place called Moderne, and while I thought the food was uneven, the look was spectacular.

Their menu is meant to be an Asian-fusion small plates kind of place with that fusion being Japanese-Puerto Rican, if you can imagine. Fallon told me later it is supposed to be all about the cocktails. Bruce sampled one for $14 and not only was it pretty, it was delicious according to him. I have no idea what was meant by that clip on art.

Before leaving Murphy we arranged to have both John and D'Anna help with our plants and I am so pleased to report that these back porch plants, corralled for easy watering, took our absence in stride. 

After much back and forth we met Joe and Cynthia at F&D Italian Kitchen and it was super good; the same cannot be said of the picture that I took of them. No clue what happened!

I spent some time exploring the front gardens at the complex and they did not disappoint.

It does not get any more Florida than banana trees and bougainvillea.

I have seen very few butterflies this summer in Murphy, so I was pleased that I was able to see a Monarch butterfly enjoying some milkweed. 

These caterpillars are very cool to see in person while at the same time the gardeners wish desperately not to see them in person!

We also went swimming on a few days which was just delightful. If there is anything I miss about our place in Orlando, it is the pool.

And the lakes, and the surrounding flora and fauna.

And of course our friends and family. Look at this little face!

But then I think of the heat that I just cannot tolerate anymore. Although this visit was bearable, there are months and months ahead that are not. We will continue staying in touch via videos and Facetime like we have with Matthew these many years. As you may recall, I began this blog about a month or so before he left to work in London and both of us are still at it! My word, I just looked at the statistics and it seems as if I have gone over one million views recently. And to think it only took 18 years!😊

Our sermon today was about communication and how important it is to stay in touch with our loved ones, a subject near and dear to my heart. Blogging was not mentioned, although it might have been. I sincerely value and appreciate anyone who spends time reading Camera Crazy, a blog I began in an entirely different part of our lives. I was a college student, Jonathan was still at home, Bruce traveled most every week for days at a time,  and our sons were not married. And here we are now. Gosh, it's a wonderful life.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. More about the Orlando time and the crazy amount of activities since our return to our sweet little, never imagined in our wildest dreams, house on Campbell Street where cucumbers are growing!